Words of Wisdom from Yoga Instructor and Local Treasure Joan Donato
Happy New Year to your body! In the words of longtime yoga instructor Joan Donato, “Be kind to yourself!” Joan resumes her schedule of classes in the San Lorenzo Valley.
By Michele Murphy
Joan, or Joanie as she is known by many of her friends, has been a yoga instructor in the San Lorenzo Valley since 1994 when she was invited by her yoga teacher, Makaya Roma, to teach a class at her studio, The Center for Healing in Felton, which was then called The Healing Circle. Joan says, “The art of teaching in general was a major part of my resume as a classroom teacher and outdoor educator. I love to teach; for when you teach, you learn.”
After completing her master’s degree in counseling and teaching in Maine and Massachusetts, Joan came to California. She acquired the hours necessary for licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) by interning at an agency for adolescents and subsequently opened a private practice in the SLV. Over the years she shared offices with colleagues in Felton, Ben Lomond, and Boulder Creek and worked part-time at the Family Services Agency of the Central Coast in Santa Cruz. After a long career of helping others, she recently retired from her work as a counselor in December 2022.
Although her origins are from the East Coast, Joan says “The San Lorenzo Valley has had my heart since moving into the redwood forest adjacent to Big Basin Redwoods State Park in 1986.” As fate would have it, the CZU Fire claimed her home on August 18, 2020. Temporarily residing in Santa Cruz, she visits her property regularly to care for the land and the plants in her funky garden, which is all the fire spared. She says that “the process of rebuilding is slow and happening,” and she looks forward to the day she can be back among her beloved redwoods full time.
Joan began practicing yoga at the age of 26 in New York City while on a retreat related to current affairs particular to the 1960s. There she was introduced to a yogi named Paul Meyer who gave her a few lessons, and she’s been hooked on it for over 50 years. This explains the dexterity and grace with which she carries herself, as well as her grounded, calm, and soothing demeanor. Presently Joan teaches two classes, one on Thursdays at 11:00 am in Felton at The Healing Center ($15.00 per class, $10 for seniors, props available). The other class she teaches Mondays at 11:00 am at Boulder Creek Rec. Bring your own yoga mat and props to this popular class that has always been well attended. Classes are comfortably paced and perfect for getting reacquainted with your health and wellbeing. You can pay as you go with drop-in classes.
Joan’s classes are unique, leaving her students with far more than well-stretched muscles. It’s a time of reconnection with oneself, renewal, and rejuvenation. Often she will say to her students, “Slower is better,” gently reminding them to “be kind to yourself” to “let it feel good,” inviting them to “go at their own way and pace,” and to “breathe deeply, trust yourself deeply,” to “breath fully, appreciating yourself fully.” At the close of each class, prior to Savasana (pronounced “Sha-vah-sana”), Sanskrit for a resting or restorative pose usually done at the end of a yoga session, Joan asks her students to “take a moment to connect with your precious self by withdrawing from the flow of the world and concentrating on the flow of your breath,” and to “consider the teaching that the best practice is love, and that includes the love of yourself.” What a concept! Joan closes each class the same way, with her students often joining in to say along with her: “May the long-time sun shine upon you, all love surround you; and may the bright light that shines within you guide your way home and keep you safe. Namaste.”
Michele Murphy is a singer-songwriter who has lived in the Santa Cruz area since 2005 when she migrated West from Buffalo NY. She works as an energy efficiency consultant and writes about the wonderful people of the San Lorenzo Valley.
Featured photo of Joan Donato by Michele Murphy
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